Div. III Wrestling Championships:

Wrestling

Div. III Wrestling Championships:

DUBUQUE, Iowa - Session three of the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships have come to a close at the Five Flags Center in Dubuque, Iowa. The championship matches, along with the third, fifth and seventh-place matches have all been set.

Augsburg College (121.5) continued to lead the team standings, sending five wrestlers (one shy of the championship record of six set by Wartburg) to the championship finals. Wartburg College in currently in second place (87.5) followed closely by UW-LaCrosse (85.5). Luther College (72.0) and the College of New Jersey (46.5) round out the top five.

Three-time national champion Marcus LeVesseur of Augsburg moved one step closer to becoming only the second NCAA wrestler to finish his career undefeated. LeVesseur moved into the finals of 165 pounds by earning a 10-2 major decision over Wartburg's Jason Knipp. LeVesseur will face the College of New Jersey's Michael Guenther in the finals. Guenther defeated Shaheim Bradshaw of SUNY-Brockport 8-5 to advance to the finals.

Returning all-American and top-seeded Nate Hanson of Luther advanced to the finals of 125 pounds by pinning Cornell College's Chris Heilman in 2:49. Augsburg's Seth Flodeen will face Hanson in the finals. Flodeen downed Brandon McDonough of Johnson and Wales 14-7 in the second semifinal at 125 pounds.

A pair of returning All-Americans will battle for the national title at 133 pounds. Augsburg's Jafari Vanier, the national runner up last year, defeated Buena Vista's Jestin Hulegaard 7-6 to reach the championship match. Vanier will face top-seed David Morgan of King's, who advanced with a 5-2 decision over Jacob Helvey of Wartburg.

At 141 pounds, Augsburg's Quincy Osborn earned a 15-3 major decision over Springfield's Mike Gaeta to reach the finals. Delaware Valley's Ricky LaForge will face Osborn in the finals by earning a 7-4 semifinal win over Rhode Island's Michael Bonora.

Two returning all-Americans will face each other in the finals of 149 pounds. Mount St. Joseph's Jason Roush scored a 2-1 win over top-seeded Jared Evans of Augsburg to reach the finals. Roush will take on Luther's Matt Pyle in the championship match. Pyle defeated Heidelburg's Joe Pflug 6-2 in the second 149 pound semifinal.

Returning all-American Jeremy Anderson of Augsburg defeated North Central's Bobby Gingerich 7-3 to reach the finals at 157 pounds. Anderson will take on the College of New Jersey's Joseph Galante, who advanced with a 2-1 victory over UW-LaCrosse's Ross Needham.

Top-seed and returning all-American Josh Chelf of UW-LaCrosse pinned Williams' Jonathon Dolan in 6:15 to head to the championship match at 174 pounds. Olivet's Kyle Venderhyde defeated Augsburg's Robert Gotreau 8-5 in the second semifinal at 174.

Cortland State's Stephon Sair, who won a national title at 174 pounds last season, moved into the championship match at 184 pounds with an 8-2 semifinal win over Wartburg's Romeo Djoumessi. Hunter's Terrance Madden, a returning all-American, defeated Jason Lulloff of UW-LaCrosse 4-3 for the right to face Sair in the championship match at 184 pounds.

Returning All-American Tyler Miller of Wartburg moved into the finals at 197 pounds with a 10-2 major victory over Wabash's Keith Garrard. Ben Strandberg of Buena Vista scored a 12-6 win over Muhlenberg's Matthew Loesch in the second semifinal at 197 pounds.

Wartburg's Blake Gillis, the national runner-up at 285 pounds in 2006, earned a return trip to the championship match by pinning Oneonta State's Trevor Hiffa in 1:59. Baldwin Wallace's Bryan Kmetz defeated Hunter's Arkadiv Levitin 3-0 to also advance to the finals of 285 pounds.

Complete updated brackets and team scores are available at the Loras College web site, www.loras.edu/athletics .